Two Weeks
by Wiccamage
Summary: After the Professor's accident during Graduation Day, the XMen have banded together once again to fight the forces of evil. But when evil comes knocking will the XMen be powerless to save one of their own? RogueRemy centered Fic. Violene, strong language
1. How Did This Happen

First note, as many will notice later in the story, I have left out some specific scenes for rating reasons. They are NC-17 and I will email those parts to you only if you ask me for them. IF YOU WANT THESE PARTS, PUT YOUR EMAIL, AGE, AND SCENES THAT YOU WANT TO READ ON AN EMAIL LABELED "TWO WEEKS". Send this email to cra595@aol.com to Wiccamage, and if you have any comments or concerns whatsoever I'd appreciate them.  
  
By the way, these are written as scenes at the top so I can keep track of them, but they are NOT written in script format. The location and date at the top of each scene is so neither any readers nor I get confused with the time and course of events.  
  
Oh, while I'm at it. I don't own the X-Men or other characters. The Brawn is a group I came up with so I do technically own parts of them. Don't sue me. I have very little money anyhow. Not that I'd care if you tried, I'd probably just laugh at you.  
  
~Wiccamage~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Two Weeks  
  
Scene I Westchester, NY  
  
9:30 p.m.  
  
Storm and Rogue were sitting around the kitchen table sipping hot chocolate. The two friends were attempting to de-stress and find a bit of peace among the recent chaos.   
  
Since Xavier's near death and his departure with Lilandra, it seemed as though every villain in the universe had attempted to stake a claim on Earth and its occupants.  
  
Storm rested her elbows on the table and sighed deeply. She was dressed in a long sweater and jeans with a a pair of hiking boots adorning her feet. Rogue looked across to the weather witch and smiled. Even in the most comfortable and non-flattering clothing, she still had the air of a goddess.  
  
Rogue herself had on a tank top and a pair of sweat pants with only socks to keep her feet warm. The two were merely sitting, enjoying the quiet and the moment of solitude to relax.  
  
Storm directed a question to Rogue in her pronounced and dignified accent. "So Rogue, how are things between you and Gambit?"  
  
Rogue scoffed, "Wha' things? Ah swear tha' man is as fickle as the Stock Market Storm! He jus' don' know what he wants."   
  
The Southerner sighed grumpily, "Every time ah think he wants t' get serious, he pulls some half-witted stunt, or says somthin' t' make m' think otherwise."  
  
"Perhaps Remy is merely afraid of a serious relationship." Ororo consoled before taking another sip of the chocolatey liquid.  
  
"You're prob'ly rahght. After all, who wants t' fall in love with someone ya can't touch?"   
  
"Rogue, you must not think that way. You will find a way to control your powers eventually. Until then, you must be patient. With both your powers and Gambit."   
  
Storm rose gracefully then and rinsed her cup in the sink before placing it in the nearly empty dishwasher. Walking to the kitchen door, she removed her jacket from the coat-rack and slipped it on.  
  
"Where ya goin'?" Rogue asked dejectedly. She really wanted to talk to someone right now, and while the peace was nice, she didn't feel like being alone.  
  
"Forgive me my friend, I must attend to my plants. I am afraid I have neglected them in the last few days." Ororo opened the door and began to step out. She turned around after a moment though, "May we continue our conversation later tonight?"  
  
Rogue smiled, "Sure suga'. Tha'd be great." Storm nodded in agreement before leaving Rogue to finish her hot chocolate.  
  
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Scene II  
  
War Room  
  
9:30 p.m.  
  
Beast and Magneto were in the war room downstairs. Beast sat in a chair, clicking through mugshots of various people.   
  
Magneto stood behind him, leaning on the back of the chair with one hand. Eric's cape and helmet had been discarded on a chair behind him and the men were studying each picture carefully.  
  
"Do you really think we will find him this way Eric?" Beast inquired, his eyes never leaving the screen.  
  
"We are running out of other options Henry. Cerebro has the most detailed criminal profile of any computer in the United States, mutant or otherwise. We must find the link between these recent mutant disappearances."  
  
"Is there no indication that these men and women may have just moved, or gone on a vacation?" Beast removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily.  
  
"I do not believe so Henry. In each case, the neighbors claimed to see men in black uniforms and in selective cases, green gas coming from the victims homes."  
  
"Why would anyone be kidnapping random mutants? Especially when there are much more powerful ones out there?" Beast looked questioningly up at the new leader of the X-Men.   
  
"That I do not know my friend." The two looked at each other with worry on their faces.  
  
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Scene III Harry's Hideout  
  
10:02 p.m.  
  
"We playin' pool Cajun, or you just gonna sit there all night?" Wolverine yelled gruffly to his teammate.  
  
"Just t'inkin' mon amie." Gambit replied to his comrade from his chair at the bar. He turned around and walked slowly over to the pool table.   
  
As he picked up the stick and rubbed the chalk over the tip, his eyes sparkled mischievously.   
  
"You ready t' lose Wolverine?" he mocked playfully.  
  
"Quit yer yappin' and break all ready swamp-rat."  
  
"All right frère, let da game begin!" Gambit hit the cue ball and sunk three solids instantly. Morph and Bobby looked over to the two competitors and Morph rolled his eyes before laughing maniacally.  
  
Remy, Logan, Morph, and Bobby had come to the bar to workout some extra pent up frustration. Normally they would train in the Danger Room, but it was being repaired again, so the mutants decided to come to Harry's for a few drinks and a couple rounds of pool.   
  
Morph and Bobby had decided to come along as well, but they refused to play pool with the other two. It wasn't that they weren't good, but Gambit had experience with hustling, and Logan had been playing pool for a very long time. Therefore, Bobby and Morph decided to stick to the drinks.  
  
The two men at the bar were currently chatting up a couple of ditzy-looking blondes who seemed to have "easy" written all over them, while Remy and Logan battled it out at the pool table.   
  
Normally, Remy would easily have the upper hand, but his mind was clearly elsewhere tonight, and Bobby was banking that it was on a certain X-Woman back at the Mansion.  
  
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Scene IV The Institute  
  
10:55 p.m.  
  
Storm lifted her hands in the air and created a rain cloud to cover her flowers. She picked up a package of plant food and began pouring small amounts into the pots. She noticed one plant particularly that seemed to be having a hard time, and she crouched down to inspect it.   
  
As she was examining the flower, she heard something from overhead. Looking up, the wind-rider saw three helicopters hovering above the mansion and a green gas began to seep out of the windows and other openings.   
  
"By the Goddess!" She cried and dropped the box of mulch. She rose and ran out of the greenhouse, calling upon the rain and lightening as she took to the night sky.  
  
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Scene V. Harry's Hideout  
  
10:55 p.m.  
  
One hour, and four and a half games later, the score was miraculously tied two to two, and Morph had now progressed to entertaining the masses with his referee/game announcer impersonations. He was rapidly switching from one persona to another and the bar patrons didn't seem to have much of a problem with his shape shifting.   
  
The mutant had five girls in stitches as he continued his pool game commentary. Bobby also had a few girls on his arms and was getting a few laughs himself. Granted he couldn't turn himself into Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, but he their attention nonetheless.   
  
Morph shouted as he transformed into football announcer Howie Long. "Oh! And the Ragin' Cajun sinks another! Can he hold up to the pressure of the second shot? Will the untamable Wolverine finally get his opening?"  
  
Morph transformed into himself and laughed characteristically, sending the girls into a laughing fit. Morph and Bobby were quite enjoying themselves as the girls leaned on them for support. Morph thought to himself as he shared a knowing glance with Bobby.  
  
As Gambit lined up for his shot, Morph transformed his hand into a trumpet and blew into it as the red-eyed man took his shot.   
  
Normally, Gambit wouldn't be bothered by the noise, but whereas he was off his game anyhow, he miss-fired and the cue ball went careening against the far wall.   
  
Gambit turned calmly as the girls went into hysterics over Morph's stunt. Charming as ever, Remy sauntered up to his teammate.   
  
"You t'ink dat's funny mes belles? Just wait 'til you see what Gambit be doin' to de homme. "#my beauties/beautiful; man#  
  
Morph chuckled nervously and started to back away. "Now, now Gambit old pal. It was only a joke. You know, ha ha?"  
  
"Well, le's see how much you be laughin' when Gambit blows yo'r pants off."  
  
Gambit started to lunge towards Morph, but their battle was cut short when the far wall blew apart.  
  
Men in black masks and uniforms came rushing through the smoking hole in the building. The girls all ran away screaming, and Morph and Bobby didn't look too happy about that fact. A few regulars looked towards the men, back to the mutants, shrugged, and went back to their beers. Harry himself sighed in frustration and went to the phone.  
  
"Yeah, Jake? It's Harry again. Yep, another wall. You can be here in an hour? Great. Thanks again man. Huh? Oh yeah, drinks are on me. See ya soon." Harry hung up, shook his head and went to the back to retrieve the leaf blower for all of the dust and debris.   
  
The men pointed their weapons towards the X-Men. "Freeze mutants!" one of the men yelled, raising his gun towards the four men.   
  
Bobby began to raise his hands over his head in 'defeat.' "You got it man." At that moment, frozen water shot from Iceman's arms and covered the man's gun.  
  
Chaos broke out as the X-Men began battling the party-crashers. Wolverine instinctively popped his claws with the familiar *snikt* sound, which automatically intimidated a few of the men.   
  
Gambit charged up the cue stick briefly, before rolling his eyes and placing it back on the table unharmed. Last time they had trashed this place, he had gotten laundry duty for a month; sentence still pending. Gambit then took out his bo staff, deciding it wouldn't do as much damage as his powers would.  
  
Morph transformed into the Hulk and began throwing the men out of the still smoldering hole, cracking jokes the entire time. Iceman aided the shape- shifter by creating an ice slide that led out of the building and down the nearby hill. The slide ended in a ramp that deposited the men in the lake.   
  
One of the men pointed a taser-looking gun at Morph, but before he could fire, Logan shouted a warning.  
  
"Morph down!" Morph dove away as the gun shot out an electrified bullet that made contact with a booth behind him, leaving a scorch-mark on the wood.  
  
Gambit picked up the eight ball, charged it, and snapped it in the direction of a large group of the men. The intruders recognized the signature glow and bolted in all directions.   
  
Up to that point, everything had pretty much been a free-for-all, but after Gambit's offensive move, the men became organized and seemed to be mainly concerned with the Cajun. Four men attacked him simultaneously, and Remy fought them off two at a time, not really concerning himself with the others.   
  
Remy thought this would be an easy fight, but it soon became clear that the men were well trained and very prepared. Every time Gambit managed to knock off three or four men, five more joined the fray, and the swamp rat soon found himself overwhelmed.  
  
Wolverine, Morph, and Bobby were slowly working their way towards Gambit when they heard him yell out in surprise. The men had somehow managed to pin him down and while he was immobilized, one of them had withdrawn a small syringe of his blood.  
  
More gunshots were fired along with a few well-placed punches, when a voice came over one the mens' radios. There was a lot of static in the message, but the words came through sharply for the four X-Men.  
  
"Team Two, objective. . . accomplished.. . . . We have her. Repeat, the mutant *crackle* . . . captured. Return . . base." As the transmission ended, the four X-Men looked at each other with worry. Before they could react however, the masked men disappeared in an orb of black light.  
  
As Gambit got to his feet, his heart was gripped with horror, fear, hatred, and mostly, dread. Something was very wrong. He could feel it deep in his soul, in his very being. Bobby was the closest to the Cajun and rushed to his side as Gambit faltered on his feet.   
  
Wolverine glanced towards Gambit, and even with all of the excitement and adrenaline running through his system, the look in the Cajun's eyes made Logan's blood run cold.  
  
"We gotta get home. Now." Gambit's eyes conveyed all of his emotions as he tried to swallow his fears. Logan in turn nodded and gave a grunt before they all ran to the jeep.   
  
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Scene VI War Room  
  
10:55 p.m.  
  
Hank and Eric were in the midst of their computer search when a green, foul smelling gas rolled through the ventilation system.  
  
"Hank? * coughs * What is happening?" Magneto fell to his knees, wheezing.  
  
Beast attempted to get up, but fell to the floor as well. Mustering the last of his strength, he reached up and hit a red button on the counter before falling unconscious.  
  
Scene VII Mansion Grounds  
  
10:59 p.m.  
  
Outside, the mansion's defense weaponry began to rise from the ground and building. Storm had just taken to the air and was currently trying to strike down the helicopters. She managed to hit the tail on one with a lightening bolt, but a turret from the ground-which was aiming for the helicopter-struck Storm from behind.   
  
The weather witch fell to the ground with a scream as the helicopter's tail caught fire, sending the machine spiraling out of control. The two men inside jumped from the chopper before it hit the ground and managed to avoid the explosion as it crashed.  
  
A second helicopter shot out the turrets and then landed on the grass to pick up the men. The pilot turned in his seat to speak with them.  
  
"What about that one?" he shouted, pointing towards Storm who was laying on the grass unconscious.  
  
"She ain't the one we're after." the other man called back. The pilot looked to Storm again and shrugged, taking the chopper to the air again.   
  
XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX Scene VIII The Institute  
  
10:54 p.m.  
  
Rogue was upstairs deciding what to wear tomorrow for her date with Gambit. She was nervous about the entire situation, but was simultaneously excited. She picked out a dress made of green velvet. The style was that of a halter-top, and it came just to her knees in length. Knowing the dress left far too much bare skin, Rogue retrieved her black nylon bodysuit to go under the outfit.   
  
The X-Man set the dress down on the chaise* by the window. (*Fainting chair) She looked at the dress and sighed. She was beginning to have second thoughts about the date, and while her heart told her to go for it, her head was screaming at her to protect herself and Remy.  
  
Rogue turned from the window and balled her fists. She willed her eyes to stop watering, willed herself not to get lost in self-pity, but a single "rogue" tear escaped from the corner of her eye and drifted slowly down her cheek.  
  
Lost in self-pity, Rogue collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Her tears were those of despair and anguish; the tears of a broken heart that could never be healed. Deep inside, Rogue knew that her problem could never be solved without the Professor. He had left with Lilandra after the assassination attempt, and with his departure, he took Rogue's only hope of one day being able to touch someone.  
  
In the midst of her heaving sobs, Rogue suddenly found herself choking on a thick green smoke that had filled the room. She coughed violently, trying to expel the gas, but her gasps only helped draw more of it into her lungs.  
  
Rising to her feet, Rogue raced to the window as she became lightheaded. As she tore open the window, she realized that her earlier theory of getting a "break" had been very wrong. Two black Apache helicopters hovered silently over the mansion and a third's tail was ablaze and going down quickly. Breathing in the clean air and deciding on a course of action, Rogue caught a streak of white falling from the sky. She recognized the figure instantly and immediately began to fly to her friend's aide.  
  
She was half out the window when she was grabbed by the ankle and yanked back inside. Rogue deduced that the intruder had to be a mutant based on the amount of force he used as she hovered, face to face with a man wearing a gas mask. Hearing the window slam behind her, Rogue whirled around to find two more men standing behind her. One was carrying a gun and the other held a small syringe.  
  
Rogue's eyes grew wide as she realized her situation. She began to cough from the smoke, and the men took the opportunity to surround her. As the first one approached her with the needle, she swung at him. The man soared through room and crashed into the vanity, shattering the mirror and splintering the smooth cedar.  
  
The other two men grabbed her quickly and she threw them into the far wall. The mutant remained conscious however, and pulled out a walkie talkie.  
  
"We need backup now!" His voice was harsh and ragged and the mere sound of it sent shudders down Rogue's spine. The Southern belle rushed towards the window once again and flew through the glass. Her attempt to escape was thwarted by a net which was draped across the windows,and she became entangled in it.   
  
Startled, Rogue struggled against the ropes, trying to break free. The net began to close around her and Rogue realized that the trap was made of adamantium. Panicked, she managed to pull herself free and returned through the broken window and into her smoke-filled room.  
  
Flying low to avoid the gas, Rogue took off down the hall coughing and crashing into the walls. Turning the corner she discovered the hallway was blocked by four men with odd looking guns. They fired on her and she narrowly avoided the plasma bullets.   
  
The mutant felt the air from one bullet brush by her ear as she retreated. She was gripped with an intense fear that radiated through her bones. Her breathing became heavy and erratic as she twisted through the halls.   
  
Rogue's strength seemed to seep from her body by the second and she dropped to her feet, too exhausted to fly any longer. Pushing herself to move, the river rat stumbled down the hall and turned another corner only to be greeted by three more men. Desperate, she ducked into her bedroom once more and prepared for a face off.   
  
The men slowly entered the room and formed a large circle around her. Rogue tried to concentrate on the men, but her mind was foggy and unfocused. The room, once stable and inviting, swirled around her, twisting and lurching in every direction. She closed her eyes against the onslaught and when she opened them a second later she was staring up at the ceiling. She watched wearily as the masked men surrounded her. One man dropped to his knee and held a second syringe in front of him.   
  
"Nap time sweetheart." His chuckle reverberated deep in his throat and Rogue felt herself becoming sick even as she lost consciousness.  
  
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Scene IX The Institute  
  
11:21 p.m.  
  
Gambit, Logan and the others came tearing up the road to the mansion with a deep fear radiating through their souls. As they neared the front doors, Gambit leaped from the speeding vehicle and bolted upstairs with a quickness that would have put Quicksilver to shame.  
  
Logan halted the jeep abruptly and the three men began to follow their Cajun comrade when a moan was heard from across the lawn.  
  
Wolverine extracted his claws while Bobby iced up and the two began to approach cautiously. Morph meanwhile commenced in inspecting the tree line to check for any hidden intruders.   
  
Logan crept ahead of Bobby, and sniffed the air. A second, louder moan was heard and he spotted a head of white sprawled across the grass a few yards to the side. Wolverine immediately ran to Storm's side, convinced that the villans had fled the scene.   
  
"Storm!" he cried when reaching her side, "What happened darlin'?" He lifted her gently into his lap as if she were a newborn and the woman winced with pain.   
  
He words were broken and barely audible, but Ororo forced them out regardless. "Ambush. . .gas. . ." Heaving coughs wracked her body, and Logan tried to hush her. She opened her eyes once again after the pain subsided and stared Logan in the eyes.   
  
Her crystal orbs were filled with grief and agony as she simply whispered a name. "Rogue."  
  
Logan looked to Bobby who had changed to normal as Morph stood behind his companion. The three shared knowing glances as they simultaneously turned to the shattered second story window.   
  
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Scene X The Institute  
  
11:21 p.m.  
  
Gambit flew up the stairs four at a time and reached the top landing within seconds. He bolted down the halls at top speed, all the while taking in the damage along the walls. The hallways were shrouded with evidence of a major struggle and Gambit was hard-pressed not to gasp when he caught sight of the plasma bullets strewn hap-hazardously across the carpet. The fear welled up inside greater than ever, and the Cajun's paced increased as he pushed his body to the brink.   
  
Breathing heavily, he slowed at Rogue's door, and with a shaking hand, twisted the handle. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening the panel door, trying to convince himself that she would be standing in front of him as he did so.  
  
His hopes were lost in a gust of wind however, as the night breeze streamed through the once cheery window. Shards of glass lay scattered across the soft carpet and the moon glanced through the clouds and filled the room with its sorrowful glare. The wind coarsely slapped at the curtains as they reached out towards the Cajun, trying to console him.   
  
The cold seeped through him like icy waters as Gambit surveyed the desolate room. The vanity lay in splinters with the glass mirror as the glass joined with the pieces from the window. The wall bowed in from something being thrown against it.  
  
~Most likely a person.~ Gambit considered silently. The idea gave him hope as he knew Rogue at least got a few good shots in before. . . He trailed off, afraid to finish the sentence.   
  
As Gambit took a few aching steps, the glass crunched under his feet and his heart hitched with every breath.  
  
"Rogue?" His whisper could barely be heard against the wind, and as realization settled in, the coldness that had started in Remy's hands encompassed his aching heart.   
  
In his mind, Remy conjured a thousand scenarios, some ending with Rogue defeating the invaders, and others that ended in tragedy. As he walked around the other side of the bed, the Louisiana-raised thrill seeker let out a long, weary breath.   
  
To his overwhelming relief, Rogue was not lying lifeless on the floor, but while still thankful, his fear for her safety was not extinguished.   
  
The swamp rat bent down next to the bed as the strength seeped from his body. He aimlessly conjured some hundred plus "What if's" and "If only's," as he first blamed the others for Rogue's predicament. It did not take long however for him to decide that he himself was responsible for Rogue's disappearance.   
  
After his initial depression, Remy jumped into the "X-Men mode" and pondered how he could possibly track Rogue's position and save her. His eyes grew wide as he remembered her com-link.   
  
Remy pressed his hand to his com-watch and frantically tried to contact his friend.  
  
"Rogue! Rogue! Answer me chere!" However, the only sound he heard was the echo of his own voice. Remy held his breath as he crouched down by the bed and peered underneath it. He nearly expected to see Rogue's body hidden under the frame, but remarkably, he only found her com-link.  
  
As Remy reached for the belt, his eye caught a glint of glass. He reached toward it and pulled out a needle filled with a blue fluid. Rising from the floor, he sat on the bed while holding the syringe, never taking his eyes from it.  
  
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Scene XI The Mansion  
  
11:25 p.m.  
  
Logan cradled Storm gently in his arms as he followed Morph and Bobby into the mansion. Once inside, a thick scent of sweat, gunpowder, blood, and anxiety filled the Canadian's nostrils, and he immediately tensed as he recognized the smell of fear.   
  
Morph and Iceman could sense Wolverine's mood change and the two went on the defensive.  
  
"What is it Wolverine, what do you smell?" Morph questioned.  
  
"Gas," he replied gruffly, sniffing the air once again, "And there were people here too."  
  
Bobby iced up again, "Human or mutant?"  
  
"Both, but the scent's weak. They booked it outta here a while ago." He stated while placing Storm gently on the couch. Bobby and Morph relaxed slightly, but the worry did not leave their faces.   
  
"Take care o' Storm, I'm gonna check things out." Logan started for the stairs, but as he approached the elevator gave a distinctive "ding," announcing a new arrival.  
  
Bobby and Morph moved into attack position once more and Wolverine approached the doors with a *snikt* of his claws.  
  
As the door began to open, the tension level rose drastically in the room. Without thinking, Logan lunged towards the intruders, but was stopped short when his body was gripped by an invisible force. He was frozen in attack position momentarily, but as the door opened fully, he was released onto the floor with a *thud.*  
  
Magneto and Beast emerged from the elevator choking violently. Eric regained his composure just long enough however, to curse at Wolverine.  
  
"Damnit Logan!" *cough* "We thought you were the intruders. Don't ever do that again, I could have easily ripped you apart!" His hacking cough returned once again however, and he doubled over against the onslaught.   
  
Logan got to his feet, retracted his claws, and snickered. "The only thing yer gonna tear apart right now Mag's, is yer lungs." Logan aided the man to a chair while Bobby supported Hank.  
  
After they were sitting, Logan immediately began to question his barely coherent friends. "What happened here Eric? Who was here?" The question came angrily as Wolverine once again remembered the message the four men had caught on the radio.   
  
"We were in the War Room when a green gas came through the vents. It knocked us out before we had time to react." Magneto fought another fit of choking before continuing. "They somehow bypassed our security, and destroyed the defense systems."   
  
Logan looked worriedly up at the staircase, praying that Rogue had not fallen captive to the men, without wishing to concern Beast and Magneto. Eric however, picked up on Wolverine's mood and became instantly wary.   
  
"Wolverine? What has happened? Is everyone all right?" A groan from Ororo interrupted Magneto's montage, and Logan once again started up the stairs. As he climbed the sturdy wooden steps, he called down to Beast. "Soon as ya can Beast, Storm's in bad need of a doctor."   
  
Magneto was unsatisfied with Logan's departure though, and began to follow him, demanding answers. "Logan, Logan! I demand you to come back her immediately!" He began to head up the staircase when a bout of dizziness overtook him and Bobby rushed to support the Master of Magnetism on his feet.  
  
"Iceman," he threatened lightly, "You will tell me what has transpired here at once!"  
  
Bobby and Morph showed a knowing glance as the two teammates began the tragic tale.   
  
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Scene XII Rogue's Room  
  
11:40 p.m.  
  
Although Gambit heard the door creak open, and comprehended the Canadian's words of comfort, he did not glance away from the precious link of evidence he held in his hands. The man called Remy was currently in two separate realities. In the first, he sat just as he did, at the edge of his love's bed, listening and believing Logan's vows to retrieve their teammate.   
  
In the second reality however, he was miles away in thought, contemplating the many ways of tracking Rogue, and simultaneously imagining himself rescuing her from the captives. The two worlds existed simultaneously, however it was the second world in which Gambit no longer felt helpless, and therefore he poured the majority of his attention into the fantasy.   
  
Wolverine on the other hand was very much a part of the first reality, and was currently surveying the damage and replaying the scene in his head. He vividly imagined each moment conspiring during the five crucial minutes leading to Rogue's capture.   
  
Just as a flashback in a movie, Logan's mind incorporated the black and white tones into the scene in his mind. He saw the one man crash against the vanity, as Rogue threw the second across the room and into the wall. He followed her flight through the door and into the hallway where his own two worlds clashed.  
  
Magneto leaned heavily against the doorframe and absorbed the damage. Logan could easily see the anger rising in his face, and soon the crunch and groan of metal joined the Jewish man's ragged breathing.   
  
Sparing a glance through the shambled window, Logan witnessed the helicopter turning inward on itself as Magneto vented his frustrations on the only physical evidence left behind by the men.   
  
He lowered his voice and forced it into a soothing tone. "Easy now Mag's. Ya can't go destroying the only link we got t' these bastards." Eric apparently agreed with the statement and the screeching sound of metal on metal ceased.  
  
Beast, Morph and Bobby soon joined the others and it was not the splattered glass nor the desolate room that made their hearts cold. Rather it was the sight of Gambit, slumped at the edge of the bed that made them loose hope.   
  
Remy seemed broken somehow, like he had lost something that would never be returned. His posture screamed of defeat and self-torture, screamed of a man who had lost his cockiness and self-confidence.   
  
His lack of arrogance was the clincher though. Gambit had a reputation to go headfirst into any situation and simply know he would come out on top. This time however, none of his usual characteristics shone through. There was no commentary of how he knew that Rogue would be okay. There were no reassurances that she would soon be safely returned. On that bed sat only a shell of a man who for the first time, was not sure of the outcome.  
  
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To be continued. . . Special thanks to Randirogue-I'm really glad you let me know about the problems. I'm so used to doing everything in novel form that I completely spaced that first section. The sentence with Bobby and the 'banking' statement helped a great deal too. Please continue to give me constructive criticisms like this. Thanks again everyone.  
  
Love and Light, ~Wiccamage~ 


	2. The Search For Rogue

Two Weeks Scene XII Rogue's Room 11:40 p.m.  
  
Although Gambit heard the door creak open, and comprehended the Canadian's words of comfort, he did not glance away from the precious link of evidence he held in his hands. The man called Remy was currently in two separate realities. In the first, he sat just as he did, at the edge of his love's bed, listening and believing Logan's vows to retrieve their teammate.  
  
In the second reality however, he was miles away in thought, contemplating the many ways of tracking Rogue, and simultaneously imagining himself rescuing her from the captors. The two worlds existed simultaneously, however it was the second world in which Gambit no longer felt helpless, and therefore he poured the majority of his attention into the fantasy.  
  
Wolverine on the other hand was very much a part of the first reality, and was currently surveying the damage and replaying the scene in his head. He vividly imagined each moment conspiring during the few crucial minutes leading to Rogue's capture.  
  
Just as a flashback in a movie, Logan's mind incorporated the black and white tones into the scene in his mind. He saw one man crash against the vanity, as Rogue threw the second across the room and into the wall. He followed her flight through the door and into the hallway where his own two worlds clashed.  
  
Magneto leaned heavily against the doorframe and absorbed the damage. Logan could easily see the anger rising in his face, and soon the crunch and groan of metal joined the Jewish man's ragged breathing.  
  
Sparing a glance through the shambled window, Logan witnessed the helicopter turning inward on itself as the master of magnetism vented his frustrations on the only physical evidence left behind by the men.  
  
Logan lowered his voice and forced it into a soothing tone. "Easy now Mag's. Ya can't go destroying the only link we go t' these bastards." Eric apparently agreed with the statement and the screeching sound of metal on metal ceased.  
  
Beast, Morph, and Bobby soon joined the others and it was not the splattered glass, nor the desolate room that made their hearts cold. Rather it was the sight of Gambit, slumped at the edge of the bed tat made them loose hope.  
  
Remy seemed broken somehow, like he had lost something that would never be returned. His posture screamed of defeat and self-torture, screamed of a man who had lost his cockiness and self-confidence.  
  
His lack of arrogance was the clincher though. Gambit had a reputation to go headfirst into any situation and simply know he would come out on top. This time however, none of his usual characteristics shone through. There was no commentary of how he knew that Rogue would be okay. There were no reassurances that she would soon be safely returned. On that bed sat only a shell of a man who for the first time, was not sure of the outcome.  
  
Scene XIII Lounge 11:55 a.m.  
  
Beast held an icepack gently to the back of Storm's head. He had just come from Rogue's room upstairs where the mood was unbearable. Hank turned away from Storm as he felt a tear slide down his furry cheek. Ororo, feeling the same agony, reached her hand towards her friend.  
  
"I am worried too Henry." She whispered to him. The fuzzy blue man faced her with a mournful look in his gaze, and suffered a small smile. Ororo's wounds were obviously painful, but she was trying to put on a brave face despite her discomfort.  
  
Henry stroked Ororo's hair back and rose. "I'll get you a glass of water my friend." He did not wish to think about the recent occurrence, and Storm's physical pain seemed a constant reminder of the emotional misery of the mansions current occupants.  
  
As Hank turned toward the kitchen, Cyclops and Jean burst through the front door. They were in costume and ready for battle. Cyclops held his hand near his visor, ready to blast anything in sight.  
  
When the two realized there was no immediate danger however, they relaxed slightly. Jean spoke first, "What's wrong Henry? I got a psychic flash of something horrible, but I couldn't make it out." Beast's face remained stoic, but the pain in his eyes spoke volumes.  
  
Scott frowned at Hank's look of agony, and looked around the room. He noticed Storm lieing on the couch and cried out for his close friend. "Storm!"  
  
Jean and Scott went to her side immediately, leaving Beast standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the lounge. The redhead grasped her friend's hand lightly. "Storm, what happened? Are you all right?"  
  
"I am fine, Jean." The weather witch responded wearily. Beast interjected from his position across the room, " A few broken ribs, lacerations, and a mild concussion, actually. She'll be fine within a few days and a great deal of rest though."  
  
Morph and Bobby entered the room to find Scott and Jean crouched on the floor. "What are you two doing back?" Scott questioned roughly. "Where's Wolverine and Gambit?" Jean picked up on the sullen mood reverberating throughout the room. She stood up, trying to compose herself as the fear set in. "What happened here?" she asked urgently, searching for an answer.  
  
Beast hung his head before making eye contact with the other two X-Men. "Eric, Logan, and Remy are upstairs, in Rogue's room. I would imagine you would best understand what has occurred tonight from that location." With that said, he shuffled out of the room and into the kitchen. Jean and Scott looked to Morph and Bobby before heading up the stairs.  
  
Scene XIV Rogue's Room 12:00 a.m.  
  
When Jean and Scott reached Rogue's room, they had already surveyed much of the damage to the walls, and had found plasma bullets embedded into the walls and floorboards. The two entered the chamber and saw Logan, Eric and Gambit looking out the window from different areas of the room.  
  
Jean gasped as she took in the damage to Rogue's room. Glass covered the floor like a carpet of mirrors, casting a haunted glow across the walls and furniture. Scott's face grew hard as he realized the situation. Yet another villain had threatened his family, thus continuing the ongoing battle for the X-Men.  
  
Scott stepped toward Gambit, trying to show him some support. "We'll find her Gambit," he began. "We'll get the men who did this."  
  
"Oui," he replied evenly. "an den . . ." his eyes flashed with rage, "Ils mortent." Gambit's tone turned icy even though his face remained neutral. (They die* pronounced eel moor for those who care)  
  
"Gambit, I know how you feel, but vengeance is not the way to solve this." Scott put his hand on the Cajun's shoulder briefly before Remy shrugged him off.  
  
"You don't know nothin' bout how I feel homme." Remy jumped from his position on the bed and stalked out of the room.  
  
"Gambit!" Scott called angrily, "Where are you going?"  
  
The swamp rat turned and held up the syringe he had been holding. "T' talk t' Henry bout dis." He left again without hesitation.  
  
Scott scoffed at his teammates departure. "I swear he's almost as bad as you sometimes Wolverine."  
  
Logan snickered at the comment. "At least he's learned somethin' at this school, eh Cyke?" Scott glared at Logan, and Jean put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Scott, you must be patient with Gambit. He's unsure of how to react to this. I've never felt such agony in him before. He needs to know we're here to support him."  
  
Logan interrupted Jean's heartfelt speech with a little insight of his own. "No offense Jeanie, but it seems t' me that the best way we can support the Cajun right now is t' find Rogue and nail these bastards." He walked quickly out of the room to check on Storm, leaving the other three to contemplate his words.  
  
Scott sighed and grimaced after a few moments. Jean picked up on his mood and he voiced his thoughts without hesitation.  
  
"I guess this really is serious, huh?" he asked his wife. "What makes you think that?" she inquired back.  
  
"He didn't call me 'fearless leader.'" He stated with a completely serious face.  
  
Scene XV Day One War Room 11:00 a.m.  
  
The X-Men team was gathered in the War Room, waiting for Scott's orders. Remy leaned impatiently against one side fo the door frame with Logan on the opposite post. Storm sat gingerly in a chair as Jubilee tried to help her get comfortable. Morph, Bobby,and Magneto explained what had transpired to Bishop, Kurt, and Kitty, who had just arrived at the mansion.  
  
The three latter mutants had rejoined the X-Men just after Xavier's departure and were quickly assimilating themselves into the team once again. The majority of the team had been on vacation for the weekend, visiting family members, or just getting some R&R, when they were contacted about the latest emergency. Some of the X-Men hadn't gotten word until earlier today, and therefore Scott delayed the meeting until everyone had arrived.  
  
Jean and Scott entered, and the anxious chatter ceased instantly. Scott immediately took his place at the table and everyone in the room gave him their concentrated attention. "Okay people, for those who don't know yet, the mansion was attacked late last night by masked men who had access to some serious artillery. Beast and Magneto have learned that these same men have been abducting mutants from around the globe. Last night, they took Rogue too. We're going to do everything in our power to get her back. Beast is in the lab analyzing the fluid Gambit found, and the rest of us are going to split into teams."  
  
"Logan, you Morph, and Jubilee take the jeep and visit some of the areas where others have been taken. See if you can dig up any information or witnesses. Bobby, Magneto, and Kitty, start working on rebuilding the security system. If you can, try to soup it up while you're at it. We don't want to risk this happening again. And Kurt, I'd like you to stay here and watch over Storm."  
  
Ororo did not happen to like this idea however, and began to protest. "Cyclops, I am . . ." The leader cut her off, "Fine? When you can move around without wincing, I might start to believe that. Kurt, makes sure she gets plenty of rest okay?"  
  
Kurt nodded, and Storm sighed grumpily, very unlike her normal goddess-like demeanor. Scott turned warily to Remy and Bishop. "Gambit, I want you and Bishop to scope out some popular haunts. See if anyone's seen or heard anything. Jean and I will stay here and find out where that helicopter came from."  
  
There was a pause as everyone waited for Scott to say something else. Everyone looked at him, while he looked to everyone else. "What?" He looked to Jean, "Did I miss something?" The room was still quiet. "Uh, 1,2,3, GO!" he yelled at last, and everyone headed out towards their destinations.  
  
Scott shook his head in confusion and disbelief before asking Jean. "How did the Professor ever make this look so easy?" Jean simply shrugged and patted her husband on the head before heading to the office to begin making calls.  
  
Scott stood alone in the room for a few moments before he realized everyone had left. He looked around, and then ran after Jean. "Hey, Jean! Wait up! Honey?" Down the hall, Jean rolled her eyes and continued walking.  
  
Scene XVI  
  
Upstate New York  
  
11:24 a.m.  
  
Logan, Jubilee, and Morph drove down the Interstate en route to the nearest kidnap victim.   
  
Morph turned to Logan from the passenger's seat and asked, "So what's this town called again Logan?"  
  
Logan cocked a sideways grin, "Copenhagen." Morph looked to his friend in disbelief, but when the Canadian nodded in affirmation, the shape-shifting mutant laughed characteristically.   
  
Morph transformed himself into a hillbilly redneck with a broken guitar and began to strum a song. "Oh. . . Twelve-pack of Bud, Eleven Wrastling tickets, ten 'o Copenhagen, nine years probation, eight table dancers, seven packs of Redman, six cans of Spam," The mutant inhaled loudly before continuing in a screechy, off-pitch voice. "FiVE flanNNel SHIRts!! Four big mud tires, three shotgun shells, Two huntin' dogs, and some ParTs tO A musTanG GTEEE!"   
  
Jubilee covered her ears in the back, and Logan shook his head with an amused look on his face while Morph cackled maniacally.  
  
"Eh he hee hee he hee!"   
  
After a while, the mood became serious once again, and Jubilee leaned through the two seats to talk to Wolverine. "Hey Wolvie, do you think those guys'll come back?" She paused for a moment as her nervousness began to rise. "You know, fer more of us?"  
  
Logan could sense the rising panic in his young friend, and instantly reassured her. "No kid, I don't think they'll come back, but if they do, we'll be ready fer um this time."  
  
Jubilee sighed with relief and Logan chuckled lightly under his breath. The vehicle rumbled along for a while before Jubilee spoke again. "Hey Wolvie?" The teen started cautiously.   
  
Logan looked into the rearview to make eye contact with the girl. "Yeah darlin'?"  
  
She took a deep breath before continuing, "Whaddya think they want with Rogue?"  
  
The Canadian sighed warily before returning his gaze to the mirror. "That I don't know Jubilee. I jus' don't know."  
  
The jeep's passengers fell silent once again as they contemplated the answer. 


	3. Information Please

I don't own the X-Men. I don't own Rogue or Gambit. I especially want to thank Q, Ralene, Alison. These guys have been pushing me so hard to get this done. If any of you readers are major Rogue fans, there's a group email thing at Rogueunlimited.com if you want to join. It's pretty neat. I adore the people there, plus there's no stupid little forwards or "tests." We're all just a little crazy, and a lot in love with X-Men.  
  
Anyhow, I've finally found a category to fit my story. It's "an angsty/drama/tragic hero torture kind of thing." I 'borrowed' this from bunny angel, but if it's completely hers, I don't own that either. Her personal page is pretty cool, and she's got some wicked awesome fanfics under her favorites. She also asked me some good questions when I posted this story the first time. As for those questions-they should be revealed a little farther into the story.  
  
Thanks for letting me quote you BA. If you (or anyone) has any suggestions or questions for my story please email me or just put it in the review with your email. I'll get back to you ASAP.  
  
Also, VERY special thanks to Randirogue (if she ever reads this). This woman is an awesome writer you guys, she has a ton of fanfics including Seether and Callous. Callous is my personal favorite, but she still hasn't posted yet. I forgive her though, cause she's very busy and gave me some really good advice. So thanks.  
  
Last note, some of the latter scenes will be edited out, and you will probably notice by the scene numbers. You must be over 17 to get these because they are pretty graphic (See bunny angel's quote from above). I've also decided to switch to numbers and not Roman numerals just because 1-10 is much less confusing.  
  
Wiccamage  
  
TWO WEEKS  
  
By Wiccamage/cra595  
XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX Scene 17  
  
Mansion Grounds  
  
11:40 a.m.  
  
Magneto and Bobby were outside the mansion rebuilding the defense weaponry while Kitty reprogrammed Cerebro to accommodate the newest changes to the school. The three mostly worked in silence-afraid to mention the recent events  
  
Kitty looked up from her laptop and watched Magneto intently. He had relinquished the offer of leader to Scott after Xavier's departure, deciding he would be better of to slowly integrate into the X-Men as a member first. The Master of Magnetism was more distant that usual because of Rogue's kidnapping, and his obvious anger put everyone on edge.  
  
Everyone knew about Rogue and Magneto's past, as well as how much he still cared for her. They could all see that the reality of Rogue's capture was harder on Eric than most. she thought with a sigh. She sighed again before returning her attention to Magneto.  
  
Using his powers, Eric disentangled one of the turrets from the mangled mess of metal parts, and lifted it back onto the mansion's roof where Bobby hooked them back up and adjusted the wiring.  
  
The awkward silence was unbearable for Katherine Pryde however, and she felt the need to break the tension. "So Magneto?" she called to the newest member, "You said that Rogue's not the only mutant to be abducted like this?"  
  
Bobby nearly fell off the roof at her question, afraid the metallic man would loose control at even the mention of Rogue. Iceman glared at Kitty, and she pulled a face back at him before turning to Eric.  
  
The mutant magnet wandered over to Kitty, and Bobby created an ice slide to join them, afraid that Magneto might snap. Despite his brave intentions though, Bobby's stature and body language screamed with fear of the larger man.  
  
Magneto grinned at Iceman's apprehension before facing Kitty, but his face grew grim as he answered her question. "I'm afraid not. Rogue is but one of many who have disappeared in this fashion."  
  
Bobby interrupted quickly, but cautiously, "Wait, many? How many are we talkin' here?"  
  
Eric turned to face his two companions. "As of last count, over one hundred and fifty." Kitty gasped while Bobby and Eric shared a worried glance.  
  
XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX  
  
Scene 18  
  
Day One  
  
Manhattan, NY  
  
11:45 a.m.  
  
Remy and Bishop sauntered into one of the more popular bars of downtown Manhattan. They didn't technically saunter though. Gambit blew the door open and more or less stormed inside, while Bishop followed behind him, warily surveying the damage to yet another bar entrance.   
  
The time traveler had no idea Gambit could be so destructive when he was pissed. In fact, he didn't even recall ever seeing Remy this angry before. It seemed like for once, the current situation was not a game to the Cajun, and the card-hurling mutant was dead serious about finding Rogue.   
  
Bishop watched as Remy surveyed the place with a careful eye. He had never seen his friend so on-edge before. Lucas studied Gambit's movements and posture with a kind of curious awe. The swamp rat was rigid, but still fluid-searching the room with both grace and intensity. He seemed completely professional, just as if he were carrying out a highly dangerous and important mission.  
  
The bar owner, Benny, came bolting out from the basement with his shotgun poised and ready. "Don't move or I'll blow you away!" He yelled in a demanding, but obviously frightened voice. Gambit, unaffected, whipped out a picture of the masked men from the mansion despite the warning.   
  
"Relax frere. We ain't gonna hurt ya. We be lookin' f'r information on dese men." Benny lowered his shotgun cautiously and reached for the offered photograph.   
  
Bishop continued, "Have you seen or heard anything strange in the last few days? Anything concerning an operation or an attack?"  
  
Benny examined the photo with a blank expression, but as Bishop questioned him, the bartender's hand began to tremble. He cleared his throat nervously as he returned the picture. "No. I ain't seen 'um. Nothin' strange 'round here."  
  
Gambit's eyes flashed as he observed the man's apprehension. "Sure?" he asked again, offering the image one last time. "Mebbe you take anot'er look, eh?" Benny pushed the photo away nervously, "I ain't heard nothin' man. Sorry." He dropped his eyes and turned away from the X-Men.  
  
The Cajun's eyes narrowed and glowed bright red. As Benny began to exit, Remy fingered his bo staff and like a cobra, he struck. XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX~XXXXX  
  
Hope that's enough for now. I'll post more as soon as I can, but the people on my mailing list always get the first read. So if you want to join . I've also got another story going called "Getting Warmer" I don't know where I came up with the title, but it's an Evo fic with Rogue and Gambit. It's set post-Dark Horizons though, so you may want to find the synopsis for those episodes first. 


	4. Benny and the Brawn

Title: Two Weeks  
  
Author: Wiccamage  
  
Rating: R  
  
Summary: Rogue is abducted, and her only hope is the Cajun.  
  
Description: "angsty/drama/tragic hero torture kinda thing" That's a direct quote from bunny angel, who-by the way- is one hell of a critic. If you want to get the best possible feedback, let her do it cause Dang. She's good. So is Randirogue, she gave me some great pointers for writing skills. Thanks to both of you, and especially Q-who's constant nagging has gotten me this far.  
  
I don't own anything.  
  
X~X~X~X~X~  
  
..The Cajun's eyes narrowed and glowed bright red. As Benny began to exit, Remy fingered his bo staff and like a cobra, he struck.  
  
X~X~X~X~X~  
  
In one fluid movement, Gambit had extended the staff, grabbed Benny by the collar, and vaulted him onto the counter. His staff pressed firmly against the man's neck, and Bishop blinked a few times in shock. Still, the larger man would not interfere unless Remy began to loose his cool. ~Or has that already happened?~ he thought to himself.  
  
"What the...?!" Benny struggled against the Cajun, trying to break free. Remy on the other hand, had no intention of releasing the man until he acquired the information he wanted.  
  
"Let me go you freak?!" The bartender screamed. Remy felt the cold of the metal staff sear through his hands. His blood pumped to his ears rapidly, drowning out the man's cries. Gambit's anger ruptured as he lashed out at the owner.  
  
"Aack.." The staff pressed down quickly on the man's windpipe, silencing him. Bishop, aware of his companion's rage, stepped in and pried Gambit away. The Cajun only resisted slightly, but the urge to strangle the man was no less intense.  
  
Bishop stepped forward as Benny began to retreat cautiously, gasping for breath and coughing violently as he did so. "Listen pal," Bishop's voice was deep and menacing. "I'd start talkin' cause I ain't gonna hold him off if ya don't."  
  
The bartender stopped hacking for a moment and regained some of his composure. "I, uh, I don't know much...." he stated nervously, but jumped back quickly as Gambit charged a card.  
  
Bishop turned a warning glance to the swamp rat, who re-pocketed the joker reluctantly.  
  
Benny continued carefully, "Some guys came in here last week. They were pretty quiet for the most, but one of 'em got pretty drunk. He started runnin' his mouth, and the other two with him didn't look too happy."  
  
"What did he say?" Bishop prompted. Benny shrugged and his eyes became round with fear.  
  
"Look man, I make an honest living. I don't want no trouble."  
  
Remy stepped forward again, his eyes glowing with anger. "Den you better start talkin' homme." Benny gulped as he began his flashback sequence.  
  
X~X~X~X~X~  
  
Scene 20  
  
Location Unknown  
  
Day One  
  
11:21 a.m.  
  
The sky over the vast wheat field was cloudless. The land itself seemed untouched; left to grow wild with no interference. There was only one man made polluter to spoil the landscape, and it wasn't going anywhere.  
  
A man stepped out of the front door of the small trailer and turned towards the sky. He was well-built, tall, and muscular. His hair was cut in buzz- type style, and his posture screamed of both arrogance and obedience. The man shielded his eyes from the rising sun as he searched the northern horizon.  
  
As he waited, the gentle breeze became harsh and erratic. A soft humming could be heard, and the once quiet sound grew louder quickly. The man stepped inside the building for a moment, but quickly returned.  
  
Outside in the field, the ground began to shake and tremble. About half a mile away from the trailer, the earth began to fold in on itself. Soon there was a gaping hole in the ground where the field had once been.  
  
The wind and humming had become louder and the sky was suddenly not so empty. The man at the trailer looked up to see two black helicopters descend from the air and enter the hole.  
  
As the choppers disappeared, the earth closed up again, and the field of wheat and grass returned. The man grinned to himself momentarily. "They lost a chopper." He stood contemplating the fact before turning back inside. "Somebody's dyin' today." With that he looked around once before returning to the small complex.  
  
X~X~X~X~X~  
  
Scene 21  
  
11:21 a.m.  
  
The Zone  
  
Downtown Manhattan  
  
Benny shifted nervously as he began the tale. "It was 'bout two nights ago. Three of 'em come in here for drinks. They were all orderly y'know, acted all supreme and untouchable. Arrogant S.O.B's, real military like. They chatted up it up with a couple of dames, had a few shots.  
  
Gambit sighed, agitated and impatient, but Benny continued.  
  
"The were havin' a good time y'know, but the one guy went a little too far with the drinkin'. He started saying, 'All muties should die,' and stuff like that."  
  
Gambit and Bishop eyed him suspiciously. "His words, not mine. I swear." The owner stated quickly. "I got nothin' against mutants, y'know?"  
  
The two men rolled their eyes and Benny continued. "Anyways, he kept goin' on, and pretty soon he started talkin' bout this great plan they had. Like they were gonna use the mutants against each other. He started braggin' bout how they had all ready offed a whole bunch of 'em."  
  
Benny stopped again, frightened. "Look, if they found out I told you all this.."  
  
Gambit stepped forward and reassured the bartender. "Dey won't frere. De X- Men'll make sure of it."  
  
The two men began to leave when Benny stopped them.  
  
"You're the X-Men?" he questioned hurriedly.  
  
"Oui, dat's right." Gambit turned again to face the shorter man.  
  
"They mentioned you guys. Well the one guy did anyway. He said, 'The boss man has a thing about one of the X-Men. Nobody knows why, but those freaks won't know what hit 'em." He eyed the two mutants warily. "That's a direct quote man. I swear it."  
  
Gambit became instantly excited and grilled Benny for further information.  
  
"What else dey say? Anyting bout a location, names, anyt'ing?" Gambit advanced on the older man quickly, desperate for information.  
  
"That's all he said man, I swear." The owner backed up quickly in fear and Bishop pulled his companion away from the agitated man.  
  
"Is there anything else you can think of that might be helpful?" The time traveler asked calmly.  
  
"Well, there is one thing." The bartender went around to the other side of the counter and retrieved a photograph and a newspaper.  
  
"After that last part about you guys, the other two all but dragged him outta here. I've got a picture, here."  
  
He handed the black and white security image to Gambit, who studied it intensely.  
  
"Um, there's somethin' else too." The X-Men looked up and Benny handed them the folded up newspaper. "This came yesterday morning."  
  
On the front page was a photo of the man who was being dragged away at the bar. Bishop spoke up, "It says he was shot.execution style." The two X- Men shared a worried glance before looking to the bartender.  
  
X~X~X~X~X~ 


	5. Belly of the Beast or Chapter 5

I know what you're thinking.. "It's a miracle! Oh my gods!" Yes, yes. It's true. I've updated after oh, almost a year! But see, it's not a miracle. It was my own nerdyness that did it.  
  
Last year, as I was first writing this story, I actually talked out how I wanted the scenes to progress in a tape recorder—yeah, that's what I thought too. Well I found all these tapes and started listening to them and low and behold, I thought wow! This could be a great story if I continued it.  
  
So yesterday, I got the old computer up and sort of running, and now, voila! I've got an update. I hope it doesn't suck too badly. I haven't written in a long while, so it could be complete crap.  
  
I need a beta for this story!!!  
  
Yeah. Thanks, and I hope you like it. Ps. It DOES get better.  
  
Oh and same applies as last time, I don't own anything and special scenes (NC-17) will be written and sent via email so I don't get bunked off of FFN. If you want the scenes, then email me, and if not, well then don't worry about it, the story will still make sense.  
  
Wiccamage XXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Scene 19 Day One: Location Unknown  
  
The helicopters touched down in the middle of the room, leaving their still spinning blades plenty of room between the two machines. The masked men from the mansion leaped out of the choppers two at a time and were received by more men in military type uniforms.  
  
The walls of the underground compound were reinforced with concrete and the ceiling of the facility was composed primarily of iron panels. The room appeared to be some kind of garage, which housed a great variety of vehicles. Small jeeps, Hum-V's, and cargo trucks were lined up against the left wall while a few small planes dotted the right. The front adjacent wall held an enormous steel door from which the other men had just come through.  
  
As the men began to prepare for the new arrivals, a man wearing a pair of black slacks and a dark brown buttoned shirt stalked up to the new arrivals. The top button of the shirt was clasped and the starched material pressed firmly into his neck. Both the pants and shirt were impeccably clean and well pressed, and his black combat boots reflected the dim lighting in the room like a piece of glass.  
  
The man's eyes were dark and furious as his face scrunched up in a continual scowl, and his deep black hair was seemingly plastered in place by gel.  
  
As the man advanced, the soldiers halted all action and jerked to attention.  
  
"Where is your commander?" He asked, his voice eerily calm as he stood in front of one uniformed man.  
  
A second man jumped quickly from the second helicopter and answered "Sir?"  
  
"Commander, what type of facility do we run here?" There was an ominous tone to his cold and slippery voice and it immediately put the commander into a state of anxiety.  
  
Despite his nervousness however, the officer belted out his answer with a practiced force. "We run a very serious and important facility, sir!"  
  
"And how do we run this operation?" The calm hissing voice was now joined by a glinting expression that caused the commander to falter slightly.  
  
"W-we run this operation with military precision Draconis, sir!" "Good. Now where are the packages? The Leader has been waiting."  
  
At once, the soldiers scampered into the two helicopters and began pulling out long steel crates that were latched with chains and locks Four large metal carts awaited the coffin-like boxes as the men pulled them from the choppers. The soldiers pulled out the crates as quickly as they could and slid them onto the carts. As the third crate was place, Draconis' eyes narrowed murderously.  
  
"And...?" he questioned, his voice dropping menacingly.  
  
A fourth crate was carefully pulled from the second helicopter as six guards flanked the pseudo coffin. The men nervously pointed their plasma guns at the silent casket as it was hoisted out of the helicopter and placed gently on the cart. Chains were looped securely across the sides and a single miniscule window adorned the curved adamantium lid.  
  
A sickening smile slithered onto Draconis's face as he approached the cart and peered through the window at the woman with white stripes in her hair. He nodded silently and three men in white lab coats rushed forward to check the monitors and settings on the side of the crate. The nodded quickly to Draconis, and motioned for the guards to take her to the lab for surgery.  
  
"Commander?" Draconis called out as the remaining soldiers began to prepare the other three crates.  
  
"Sir?" The man gulped nervously and stepped forward.  
  
"Were you not clear on your instructions? Chopper three was scheduled to arrive with the woman directly after the extraction."  
  
"Yes, sir, I know. However, we encountered a problem and number three went down. We recovered the woman as you can see, but we had to leave the machine behind. We did procure the other specimens though." He finished proudly.  
  
Draconis spoke again in a low, even tone, "So you took almost nine hours to get a priority back to the base, risked exposure, nearly killed our source of cover, and left behind a vital piece of evidence because you thought the other mutants were more important?"  
  
The other man was visibly shaking now as he lowered his head. "Yes, sir," he whispered quietly.  
  
"Just so we're clear." Draconis turned heel and began to exit the garage. Just as he reached the metal doors though he turned again. "By the way commander, you are fired."  
  
A single shot rang out as the man's body hit the floor with a reverberating thump.  
  
"You there." Draconis pointed out a man who was inspecting the other crates, "You are the new commander. I hope you can handle it, I'd hate to have to fire you."  
  
XXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Scene 20 Day Two: Location Unknown  
  
Excruciating, numbing, horrible pain greeted Rogue as she slowly clawed her way to consciousness. She moaned loudly and attempted to bring her uncooperative hand to her exploding head. She began to open her eyes, but the light invaded her vision and sent more nuclear waves through her skull.  
  
Her mind was clouded and unfocused, and her mouth tasted like cotton and wax. She couldn't move or see and could not remember what had happened or what day it was.  
  
She moaned again and this time was greeted by a soothing female voice.  
  
"Shh, shh, shh. It's all right now honey." The woman cooed softly. "It's okay. Just relax and breathe. Shh. That's it girl."  
  
Rogue lolled her head towards the voice and whispered, "Jean?"  
  
"Shh, it's okay. Just drink this down now and go back to sleep." The voice added a hand as it tilted Rogue's head up gently and placed a glass to her lips.  
  
The liquid was bitterly sweet, but tasted heavenly against the waxy cotton feel in Rogue's mouth, and she gulped it down readily.  
  
The voice put Rogue back down on the pillow and smoothed back her hair soothingly. "You just sleep now girl. You'll feel better in a while. Just sleep." The voice went on making more calming sounds and stroked the X-Man's hair gently as she drifted back to sleep.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Scene 21 Day Two: War Room/3:00p.m.  
  
Jean sat with Cerebro as she tried desperately to find a sign of Rogue. She was finding it nearly impossible to concentrate however as she tried to ignore Scott yelling at somebody in the background, and Beast rambling on about how 'peculiar' and 'amazing' the liquid from the syringe was. Incredibly, the doctor had "never seen anything like it," and had spent the last two days contacting friends and colleagues, and attempting to sort out the liquid's components.  
  
Jean rubbed her eyes wearily and tried to contact Rogue again as Scott paced furiously through the room.  
  
"What do you mean, 'I'm not authorized'? I've got the damn thing on our front lawn, I think I should be entitled to know where it came from!" Jean almost smiled at Scott's outrage. He was normally so collected...  
  
"NO! No I don't want you to come pick it up! I want you to tell me where it came from and who owns it, you dumb shit! I'll call you whatever I want, understand? My friend's life is on the line here, and you're playing stupid with me. I want to talk to whoever's in charge immediately."  
  
Jean took a deep breath and buried herself within the depths of Cerebro as she tried to block out all the background noise. She sifted through the hundreds of mutant faces as she searched for Rogue and managed to effectively mute out all other sounds from within her head.  
  
Gambit and Bishop stalked through the door of the War Room just as Scott was reconnected with the General of the US Air Force.  
  
"Okay, look General. My friend was kidnapped by a couple of guys wearing soldier uniforms and piloting helicopters. I want to know who they are and where they came from. No sir, I'm not insinuating that the United States military is responsible. No, sir. No, sir. General, I'm just saying that I've got a situation here, and I would appreciate just a little god damned bit of cooperation here! No, YOU look. I will get President Kelly on the phone with us right now if that's what it takes. You think I'm full of shit, huh? Well hold on a second and lets just see about that."  
  
Bishop turned an amused gaze to the thoroughly pissed off Summers as Gambit paced around the room anxiously and Beast muttered under his microscope.  
  
"Rogue? Is that you?" Jean suddenly bolted up from her seat and latched onto Cerebro. The room went deathly silent as everyone held their breath.  
  
Jean raced through the faces of the thousands of mutants and tried desperately to find her friend. "Rogue, Rogue! Where are you? Can you hear me? Are you all right?"  
  
"Oooh." The moan had come from Rogue, Jean was sure of it. "Rogue! Can you hear me? Are you okay?" "Jean?" The call came out muffled and pain-riddled, as if Rogue were only half-conscious.  
  
"Rogue you've got to help me. You have to try and wake up. You have to... Aaahhhh!"  
  
Inside the war room, Jean suddenly grabbed her head with a scream of pain and was launched out of her chair and across the room where she collided with the wall.  
  
"Jean? JEAN!" Scott dropped the phone instantly and ran to her side. He looked up at the other three men as he tried desperately to wake his wife. "Jean are you okay? Jean?"  
  
"She's unconscious Scott, let's bring her to the med lab so I can be sure there aren't any injuries." Beast reluctantly abandoned his microscope and helped the worried husband carry her to the med wing.  
  
"Merde!" Gambit slammed his fists down on the table as the three exited the room.  
  
Bishop stood gradually and put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "We're gonna find her Gambit. We will." He squeezed gently and left as the Cajun slumped down on a chair.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Woohoo! I know right? Well then. Reviews will greatly help push this story along. I have way more reviews for my other story "Getting Warmer," so I might just continue that one and neglect this for another year if I don't get much feedback.  
  
grin Is that incentive or what?  
  
Wiccamage Cra595aol.com 


	6. Chapter 7

HAHAHA! It's a freakin' miracle! I finally updated Two Weeks, and I hope you people all like it.

Sorry it took me so long, but hey, I TOLD you that if I didn't get many reviews I wouldn't update it for a long time. So I hope I can at least get 20 responses for this story/chapter or it might take me even longer to write the next chapter.

I would say this chapter is PG-13 for strong language, but there isn't much violence in this one.

I'm still going to write the NC-17 chapters, but I will only send them to those who let me know that they want to read them in an e-mail.

Let me know what you think!

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Day Three

X-Mansion: War Room

11:00 a.m.

The X-men were all in uniform and gathered around the war-room table. Jean and Scott stood at the front, addressing the team. Beast stood to the side in his lab coat, holding a file. Jean spoke first, "Okay, we haven't gotten much, but it's a start. I got a trace of Rogue, but there was some kind of psychic shield keeping us from finding her exact location. I reached her for a moment, when a type of telepathic guard attacked me. We know that she's still in the United States and that she's in the South-East, but that's all we know for now."

Scott picked up after Jean, "I made a few calls and found out that the helicopter that crashed in the yard is an old Vietnam medical chopper. There were hundreds made in the 1960's, but the government traded them in for a new model. We're waiting for a call back from President Kelly, he's going to pull some strings and find out who owns this particular model. Beast did some lab tests on that blue liquid you found Gambit, and well, go for it Hank."

Scott stepped aside and Beast dropped the file on the table and took out a few papers. "After extensive research, I have discovered that this liquid is a powerful sedative, mixed with natural herbs and chemicals. Any common scientist or even a drug dealer could create most of this concoction, however, the herbs and chemicals alone do not produce such a strong effect. I believe I have created the correct dosage for a demonstration, and I've already tested the formula on a few mice. Logan, would you please help me with this?"

Logan reluctantly stepped forward with a sigh and stood in front of Beast. Beast continued, "Now, this tube contains 20 ml of the herbs and chemicals used in the sedative. Logan, with your permission, I'd like to inject you with the formula." Logan nodded and pulled off his glove to reveal the vein in his wrist. Hank injected Logan with the substance carefully. Logan stood for a few seconds while everyone watched him expectantly.

"So, that's it, just a buzz? I barely felt a thing." Logan shifted his weight in disgust. Beast turned back to the rest of the team, "Now, this next needle is merely laced with the chemical that I've extracted from the original syringe. Logan?" Logan extended his finger, expecting the same results as the tube before.

As Beast pricked Wolverine's finger, the X-Man stood for a second, and then collapsed to the floor. The team rushed to his aide, but the man was out cold. "He should return to normal in," Beast looked at his watch and counted down. "5…4…3…2…1" Logan's eyes fluttered open slowly and he attempted to stand. Unsteady, he began to topple, but Morph quickly supported his friend.

Logan looked at Hank in amazement. "What the hell was in that? It knocked me out cold, and the room's still spinnin'."

Beast put a translucent sheet on the table, "The chemical I found in that syringe is unlike any I've seen before. However, while I was conducting my experiments, I stumbled upon something rather unbelievable. I was in my lab and…" Beast was cut off by Gambit, who was standing in the corner.

"Pardon, mon amie, but Rogue could be in some bad trouble righ' now, so could you jus' tell us what it is?" Gambit's eyes were dark with hatred for the people who had taken Rogue, and also with worry for his love's safety.

Beast nodded in understanding and moved ahead, "I discovered that the chemical contains mutant DNA. I believe that it was extracted from a mutant and used in the sedative. In high doses, this chemical has the potential to kill." Beast looked over at Logan who was shaking his hand around and extending and retracting his claws.

Beast went on, "The syringe found in Rogue's room contained an anesthetic commonly used for medical procedures, and can leave the body almost totally numb. By calculating the water to chemical ratio, Rogue's height and weight, and the approximate amount of formula in the syringe, I predict that Rogue should have recovered from the sedative yesterday, which is when Jean picked her up with Cerebra."

Scott took command once more, "We still don't know much, but we do know that these people operate with a very high level of proficiency, and that they have enough money to buy a few army helicopters. Put it together and we're looking at a very covert and probably very **large** organization. We have to be ready for anything people, I have a feeling that these guys are going to be a real challenge."

Jubilee stood from her seat and posed the question, "But what do the want with Rogue? Out of everyone that was here that day the only person they grabbed was Rogue? Does that seem strange to anyone else?"

Scott spoke again, "Jean and I are starting a list of all of our most formidable enemies, and anyone who may have some bad blood with Rogue. Gambit, we'll need your help the most with this one, you knew her the best."

"She ain't dead Cyke, and I'd 'preciate if you didn't talk like she is." Gambit's eyes flashed in anger, and he stormed out of the room. Ororo tried to follow the Cajun, but Magneto held her back. "Let him be. He needs time alone now." The X-Men stared after their tormented teammate in silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Day Three

Location Unknown

Rogue awoke with a soft groan. Clenching her eyes against the onslaught of light, she tried to focus on the pain shooting through her head. She lifted her hand and rubbed her face before resting her forearm over her bleary eyes.

"Hey, you awake finally?" A female voice filtered through the fog and Rogue started suddenly before collapsing back onto a very hard and uncomfortable cot.

"Whoa there gal. You ain't in any shape to be movin' around too much right now. You still gotta recover a bit." The woman had a slight accent, but Rogue couldn't quite place it.

The X-Man turned her head toward the voice and cracked one eye slightly. Her vision was blurry, but Rogue was able to make out a mane of black curly hair and a soft smile. "Wh..?" she started, but the question was cut off by a round of coughs that came on unexpectedly.

"Here, drink this." The woman brought an arm under Rogue's shoulders and used the other hand to hold a cup to Rogue's lips. Rogue sipped the bittersweet liquid momentarily, but the taste proved too much for her and she pushed it away clumsily.

The woman spoke again while trying to coax the southerner into another drink. "Look, I know it's bad, but it will help with the headache and'll get you back on your feet faster."

With a sigh, Rogue gulped down the rest of the glass. When she was finished, the stranger lowered her back down to the bed. Rogue closed her eyes as she felt the pounding in her head start to subside. As the liquid coursed through her veins, Rogue felt the tension and pain in her body melting magically away.

Sitting up with a bit of help from the woman, Rogue leaned back against a rough cement wall as she inspected her surroundings. It was clear by the bars in front of her that she was in some sort of cell. The back wall was solid concrete while the other two walls on either side were different from the first only because of the makeshift windows that were also covered in steel bars.

The only furniture in the cell was a small cot, which was pushed up against the side wall with the head of the bed against the back wall and a small bucket that continued to mystify the southerner.

The X-Man started to turn her head to gaze at the other woman, but as she did so, severe pain shot up through her spine and into her head, making Rogue groan and lean back against the wall.

Rogue lifted her arm and reached for the back of her head where the intense pain had originated just moments before. As she cautiously placed her fingers against the base of her skull, Rogue felt clumps of something in her hair, as well as a sticky, wet substance. She pulled her hand back up to her face to inspect the strange matter and her blood ran cold to find her fingers soaked in crimson blood.

Rogue bolted up quickly and put both hands to the back of her skull, trying to find the source of the blood. She immediately touched upon a lump near the base of her skull, followed by what she presumed to be a recently closed incision.

Rogue had nearly forgotten about the strange woman until a hand gently touched her arm.

"It'd be best if ya didn't touch it. If the wound gets infected it could be fatal." The woman had kneeled down next to Rogue and was reaching for a washcloth with her free hand. Rogue stared at the woman, ready to fly into a barrage of angry questions when she was stopped by the tender look on the woman's face.

The strange woman had a soft, sweet looking face that was set off by beautiful black curls and startling red eyes. Eyes, Rogue thought with dismay, that looked much like Remy's.

Rogue's thoughts and observations were soon interrupted though, by a male voice that wished to contribute to the woman's tale.

"Yep, I was here the last time it happened. Stupid kid wouldn't stop touchin' the damn thing and he got it all infected. There was this green puss oozing outta his skull and drainin' down the back of his neck. Then these little green lines started poppin' up on his neck and face and they ran all the way down to his heart 'fore it killed him dead."

As Rogue looked up, she spied the man leaning his head through the bars slightly as he looked down on the two women.

"Dougie, will you just shut the fuck up for once in your worthless life?" The woman stood up and put her hands on her hips, trying to look as imposing as possible. "You're always tryin' make things worse and you end up annoying the hell outta everyone here. You're powers aren't even worth anything. I don't see why they keep you around."

"My powers do just fine. And at least I didn't have to cozy up to one of the guards to secure my future, Jackie."

Jackie's eyes lit up with rage and she tried to step closer to the metal bars without tripping over Rogue, who had curled herself up in the corner as she watched the exchange.

"Oh go screw yourself Dougie! You know Michael got promoted AFTER we got together. That was the only damn reason he took the job—so I'd be safe from Draconis and his little lackey's."

"Oh yeah, well…" Dougie started, but another man in a cell across from Rogue's cut him off.

"Alright you two, that's enough. Give the girl a little peace and quiet, eh? She's prob'ly awful confused and tired as it is without you two startin' yer bickerin' again. Why don't ya just give 'er a nice, friendly welcome and introduce yourselves without gettin' all barbaric on each other."

Rogue watched the man as he conducted his little speech and found him very amiable. He had long, silvery hair and brown, weathered skin that was contrasted by his soft blue eyes and his gentle, but chiding tone of voice. His accent reminded Rogue somewhat of Wolverine, but without the gruff and irritated intonation.

"Miss," the old man said directly to Rogue, "allow me to introduce myself. My name's Carl and these two, if you haven't already guessed, are Jaclyn and Douglas. We're mutants, just like you… at least, I presume you're a mutant?"

Rogue nodded quietly. The headache had diminished greatly, but she was still groggy, disoriented and incredibly confused.

"That's right. Usually the baselines don't get such exquisite treatment." Carl said with a twinkle in his eye as both Jackie and Dougie snorted with amusement.

"Anyway, we're all mutants and we were brought here because of our 'gifts.' We're all special here in our own little ways and that's why they keep us here." Now Carl's voice turned gradually from humorous to a sort of saddened anger as he continued to explain the situation to Rogue.

"This place is a prison for mutants, miss. Only, we didn't do nothin' against the law and most of us've never harmed anyone. We tried to live our lives normally and without notice until one day these men in black masks and military outfits came charging into our homes or just simply grabbed us off the streets and brought us here."

The old man limped slowly back to his own cot and carefully lowered himself down on the makeshift mattress. "Now we work for Draconis against our wills because he holds all the cards and can either make our lives a literal hell or somewhat bearable. Draconis runs this place, but he's not the mastermind. Someone else makes all the shots and does all the thinking. Draconis was hired out to make sure everything works perfectly and to see that everyone stays in line and follows orders."

Rogue interrupted briefly as her curiosity mounted. "But why? They make mutants work for them, but doing what? What's the purpose to all of this?" She asked in a scratchy, hoarse voice.

Carl smiled sadly as he looked at Rogue. "That's the mystery. We all do our parts every day with little things here and there. Some of us clean, others cook. I know the telepaths are used as a sort of shield to keep people away from this place and to check for intruders. There's about ten of them that work different times of the day to scan for useful mutants and to make sure no other telepaths try to reach any of the inmates. There are other mutants who manipulate energy fields and such who make sure this place remains undetected to the government or any other advanced organization."

He paused for a moment, lost in thought and dismay. "Ya see, miss, no one ever leaves here because to the outside world, this place don't exist. Each mutant here plays a part in ensuring that no one ever finds us. And we do it 'gainst our wills because of Draconis and his mysterious master.

"No one knows what the greater purpose of this place is. Everyone speculates, sure, but no one really knows. Some say they do it so they can take over the world eventually. Some say it's so they can eradicate all mutants at once. Hostile takeover; the enslavement of mutants for profit; the unification of all mutants for a greater purpose—they're all just guesses and personally my money's on the mass extinction theory, but the truth is that no one really, truly knows 'cept the person that created all this. Not even Draconis knows what it's all about."

Everyone was silent for a moment when Rogue spoke up again. "But how do they keep ya enslaved? If everyone rose up at once and took over, what's to stop ya'll from escaping? Sure there'd be casualties, but they can't kill everyone at once."

"Actually," Jackie whispered, "they can. The reason you woke up with such a headache is because they've found a way to implant a device into each mutant's head that can neither be removed nor turned off unless you have access to the machines that control them. It's just a tiny little computer chip that's been tinkered with and probably laced with some kind of mutant chemical to keep our powers turned off until they want us to use them."

Rogue stared at Jackie and Carl in sheer amazement and disbelief until Dougie added the final coup de grace.

"And then, when they don't need you anymore, or you become too much of a liability, all they have to do is flip a switch and you die."

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Okay, now go click that little button so I can get started on the next chapter for you! Remember, 20 reviews or it might take me a LONG time to update again. (And I do mean a long time; it's been almost a year since my last one!)

Also, just so everyone knows, I will probably be taking this story off FFN for a little while so I can fix a few things and then re-post it back on the board. If anyone thinks this is a crappy idea, let me know and I won't do it.


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